How to customize the forecast view settings?

This section provides a comprehensive lead on how to customize your forecast view settings to suit your needs. Follow these steps to adjust the display and arrangement of deals in your forecast view.

Show By

The Show By setting determines the primary basis for sorting and displaying deals in the forecast view. This criterion impacts how deals are organized and prioritized in the display.

1. Expected Close Date (default): Deals are displayed according to their anticipated closing date, helping to focus on upcoming closures.

1. Created At: Deals are sorted based on their creation date, useful for tracking how recently deals were added.

1. Custom Date Fields: If custom date fields have been added, they will also be available for selection, allowing for additional sorting criteria based on user-defined dates.
   

Arrange By

The Arrange By setting specifies the order in which deals are shown, either focusing on open or won deals. This setting helps prioritize how deals are presented in the view.

1. Open Deals First (default): Displays deals that are still active before those that have been won, making it easier to manage current opportunities.

1. Won Deals First: Shows won deals before open deals, which can be useful for reviewing successfully closed deals before focusing on ongoing ones.
   

Change Interval

The Change Interval setting allows users to select the time frame for viewing deals, such as weeks, months, or quarters. Switching between intervals affects how the forecast view is displayed.

1. Week: Organizes deals on a weekly basis, which is useful for tracking short-term progress and planning.

1. Month (default): Displays deals on a monthly basis, providing a broader view of progress and trends over time.

1. Quarter: Shows deals organized by quarter, ideal for longer-term planning and performance review.
   

Columns

The Number of Columns setting determines how many columns are shown in the forecast view, affecting the visual layout and organization of deals.

1. 3 Columns: Displays deals across three columns, providing a more condensed view.

1. 4 Columns (default): Shows deals across four columns, offering a balanced layout.

1. 5 Columns: Provides a wider view with five columns, allowing for more detailed categorization of deals.

How do the date-switching options help in analyzing deals across different time periods?

The date-switching feature allows users to adjust the forecast view to show deals based on various time periods, such as the previous quarter, today, or future quarters. This helps in analyzing deal performance over different intervals.

The date-switching feature is located on the right side of the forecast view, presented as a button with five toggles.

1. Previous Quarter: Shows deals from the quarter before the current one.

1. Today: Displays deals for the current day, organized by default column settings.

1. Next Quarter: Focuses on deals for the upcoming quarter.

1. Four Quarters Back: Moves the view to display deals from four quarters ago.

1. Four Quarters Forward: Projects deals for four quarters ahead.
   

How to predict revenue using the forecast view?

The forecast view projects revenue based on the expected close dates of deals. It uses these dates to estimate when deals will be marked as WON or LOST.

1. Deals are organized into columns based on their expected close dates.

1. Each column displays a summary of projected revenue for the deals expected to close within that date range.

1. Review the individual deals within each column to see their projected revenue and close dates.